Robot Bricklayer Builds Winery With Precision
Writing by Evan Ackerman on Monday, 27 of July , 2009 at 4:57 am
With the help of a robot bricklayer, design firm Gramazio & Kohler designed a new building for a Swiss winery that uses angled bricks to reflect light at slightly different angles to create an image of a basket full of grapes:
The precise spacing and angles required to achieve this effect is something only a robot is capable of, and for that matter, something that only a computer could design:
To create the façade, we designed a generation process. We interpreted the concrete frame construction by Bearth & Deplazes as a basket and filled it with abstract, oversized grapes of varying diameters. We digitally simulated gravity to make the grapes fall into this virtual basket, until they were closely packed. Then we viewed the result from all four sides and transferred the digital image data to the rotation of the individual bricks. On the built façades, the visitor discerns gigantic, synthetic grapes, which were virtually inside the building as we developed our design.
It’s interesting to see an industrial robot being used not just as a labor saving device, but as a creative tool. Just imagine what might be possible if they got this thing to work together with a concrete jet robot… Cheap, artsy houses built in just a few days.
Video of the robot laying bricks (which is, if possible, less exciting than it sounds), after the jump.
[ Gramazio & Kohler ] VIA [ Daily Dose of Architecture ]
Thanks to Eric for the tip!
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Category: Industrial
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